Superstructures for kiln trucks



March 31, 1959 R. 5.; MILBURN SUPERSTRUCTURES FOR KILN TRUCKS 3 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed April 27, 1954 rlllll 1 IIIIIIL March 31, 1959 Filed April 27, 1954 l l l R B. MILBURN v SUPERSTRUCTURES FOR KILN TRUCKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 31, 1959 R. B. MILBURN SUPERSTRUCTURES FOR KILN TRUCKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 27. 1954 United States Patent 2,879,577 SUPERSTRUCTURES FOR KILN TRUCKS Richard B. Milburn, Westlands, Newcastle, England Application April 27, 1954, Serial No. 426,013 6 Claims. (Cl. 25-142) This invention relates to improvements in the goodssupporting superstructure of a kiln truck used for conveying ceramic ware to be open-fired in the traverse of the truck through a tunnel, oven or the like, and has for an object to provide improved means for supporting the bafiie plates of the superstructure.

Kiln trucks or cars of the type referred to are used chiefly in so-called glost firing of dishes and other ceramic ware which have already been fired once and are being refired after application of a glaze in order to vitrify the glaze. Glazes at this stage are very sensitive and susceptible to damage by localized excessive temperatures or by contamination by dirt in the combustion gases.

The present goods-supporting superstructure is of the type comprising a plurality of spaced sectional refractory pillars which serve as supports for superposed horizontal refractory shelf sections notched for engagement with the pillars.

In a superstructure of the type referred to, according to the invention, a portion of each shelf section in the vicinity of an edge face, is cut away and each upright bafile plate presents a tongue engageable with the cut away in an associated shelf section.

The cut away may be in the form of an open notch breaking into the adjacent edge face, said notch being additional to that engageable with an associated pillar, or the cut away may be in the form of a slot parallel to the adjacent edge face.

At least selected shelf sections may be formed with more than one cut away which may be in the form of notches or/and slots.

A superstructure for kiln trucks according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the superstructure.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view, to a larger scale than the preceding figures, of a portion of a shelf section formed with a notch in an edge portion.

Referring to the drawings, 1A and 1B denote superposed horizontal shelf sections supported by a plurality of spaced sectional refractory pillars 2. The shelf sections 1A and 1B are notched at 3 for engagement with the pillars 2.

Each shelf section 1A is formed near one edge with a slot 5 engageable with a tongue 6 presented by an upright side bafiie plate 4 below the respective shelf section 1A.

The shelf sections 1B associated with upright end baflle plates 7 are each formed with an open notch 8 engageable with a tongue 9 presented by the respective end baflle plate 7, in addition to a slot 5, the notch 8 being formed in an edge portion other than that adjacent to the slot 5.

The notch 8 is of substantially dove-tail form (Fig. 4) constricted at the entrance.

As will be understood, when a tongue 9 is engaged with a notch 8, the constriction at the entrance to the slot prevents outwardly displacement of the tongue 9 from the notch 8.

The battle plates 4, 7 are located at their lower ends by pegs 11 engaging sockets in the shelf sections 1A and 1B upon which the lower edge faces of the bafile plates 4, 7 rest. As illustrated in Fig. 2, these pegs 11 extend clear through the shelf section 1B. They may extend sufliciently far, as shown, to engage the upper edge of the baffle plate in the section beneath, thus aiding in positioning and retaining both the bafile above and the one below.

What is claimed is:

1. In a superstructure for a kiln truck including refractory pillars, superposed, vertically spaced, horizontal refractory shelves supported by the refractory pillars, and readily removable upright bafiie plates between adjacent superposed shelves, the lower edges of which are supported on the edge portion of the lower of said adjacent superposed shelves; the improvement which comprises readily disengageable engaging means integral with and disengageably engaging the edge portion of the upper of said adjacent superposed shelves and the top of each of said baflile plates, said baflle plates and the upper of said superposed shelves thereby forming a pair of engaging members, said engaging means comprising a protrusion carried by one of said engaging members and a recess in the other of said engaging members receiving said protrusion, said recess being sufficiently larger than the protrusion that each baifle plate may be swung from its upright position and withdrawn laterally without disturbing the remainder of the kiln truck superstructure.

2. A superstructure for a kiln truck as set forth in claim 1 in which the protrusion is carried by said baflle plate and the recess is in the edge portion of the upper of said adjacent superposed shelves.

3. A superstructure for a kiln truck as set forth in claim 2 in which the recess is an opening having a dovetail form.

4. A superstructure for a kiln truck as set forth in claim 1 including retaining means for positioning and retaining the lower edges of the bafie plate on the edge portion of the lower of said adjacent superposed shelves.

5. A superstructure for a kiln truck as set forth in claim 4 in which the retaining means comprises upwardly protruding means at the edge portion of the lower of said adjacent superposed shelves.

6. A superstructure for a kiln truck as set forth in claim 4 in which the upwardly protruding means comprises readily removable pegs, and the edge portions of the lower of said adjacent superposed shelves having holes receiving said pegs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ladd Mar. 28, 1933 

